Nick’s Library
Welcome to my library – here you can find books, essays, and poems that I enjoy.
Books
- The Tao of Alan Watts, Alan Watts
- Explores Eastern philosophy and its application to Western life, encouraging readers to embrace a more harmonious and mindful existence.
- Endurance, Alfred Lansing
- A gripping narrative of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic expedition, detailing the crew’s survival against overwhelming odds after their ship was trapped and destroyed by ice.
- Good Energy, Casey Means
- Focuses on optimizing health and well-being through lifestyle choices, emphasizing the importance of nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness.
- Civilized to Death, Christopher Ryan
- Critiques the notion of human progress, suggesting that modern civilization may not have led to improvements in human well-being compared to our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
- The Cuckoo’s Egg, Cliff Stoll
- A true story detailing the author’s pursuit of a hacker who infiltrated U.S. computer systems during the Cold War, highlighting the early days of cybersecurity.
- Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes, Daniel L. Everett
- An account of the author’s experiences living among the Pirahã people of the Amazon, exploring their unique language and culture, and challenging existing linguistic theories.
- Silence: In the Age of Noise, Erling Kagge
- A reflective book by a Norwegian explorer who draws on his solo expeditions to explore the power of silence in a noisy world, blending personal experience with philosophical insights on presence, clarity, and inner peace.
- The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté
- Examines how modern society contributes to illness, suggesting that many common health issues are normal responses to abnormal societal conditions.
- The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield
- A spiritual adventure novel about a man’s journey through Peru to uncover nine ancient insights on energy, synchronicity, and human connection with nature, blending mystery with metaphysical wisdom.
- Mind of Your Own, Kelly Brogan
- Explores natural approaches to mental health, challenging conventional psychiatric practices and advocating for holistic treatments.
- Ghost in the Wires,Kevin Mitnick
- A thrilling memoir of one of the world’s most famous hackers, detailing how Mitnick outsmarted corporations and the FBI using social engineering and technical skill—while revealing critical lessons about cybersecurity, privacy, and human vulnerability.
- Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake
- Delves into the world of fungi, revealing their complex relationships with other organisms and their profound impact on ecosystems and human life.
- Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari
- Provides a comprehensive history of humankind, tracing our evolution from archaic species to the present, and examining the forces that have shaped human societies.
- Stillness Is the Key, Ryan Holiday
- Discusses the importance of cultivating mental stillness to achieve success, drawing on timeless philosophical and spiritual wisdom.
- Stealing Fire, Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal
- Investigates how individuals and organizations harness altered states of consciousness to achieve peak performance and creativity.
- This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends, Nicole Perlroth
- An in-depth look into the global cyber arms race, exposing the dangers of digital warfare and the vulnerabilities in our technological infrastructure.
- Outwitting the Devil, Napoleon Hill
- Presents a fictional conversation with the Devil, exploring themes of self-doubt, fear, and how to overcome obstacles to achieve personal success.
- Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
- A classic self-help book that outlines principles for personal success and wealth accumulation, based on interviews with successful individuals.
- Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
- Examines how television and other forms of media have transformed public discourse, arguing that entertainment has become the dominant mode of communication, leading to a decline in serious conversation and critical thinking.
- My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla, Nikola Tesla
- Provides insight into the life and mind of the famed inventor, detailing his innovations and personal philosophies.
- Quantum Consciousness, Peter Smith
- Explores the idea that consciousness is non-local and exists beyond the brain, linking quantum physics with spiritual awareness and altered states of perception.
- Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard
- Explores how trees communicate and share resources through underground networks, emphasizing the interconnectedness of forest ecosystems.
Essays
- Alzheimer’s Disease Is Type 3 Diabetes–Evidence Reviewed
- Presents Alzheimer’s as “Type 3 diabetes,” driven by insulin resistance in the brain. It shows how impaired insulin signaling leads to memory loss, plaque buildup, and other Alzheimer’s features, and suggests that insulin-based treatments may offer hope.
- Body Ritual among the Nacirema, Horace Miner
- A satirical essay that anthropologically examines the bizarre rituals of the “Nacirema,” revealing how cultural practices can seem strange when viewed from an outsider’s perspective.
- Correlations of Random Binary Sequences with Pre-Stated Operator Intention: A Review of a 12-Year Program
- The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Lab conducted a 12-year experimental program that found statistically significant correlations between human intention and the outputs of random event generators (REGs). Link to paper
- Effect of Early and Later Colony Housing on Oral Ingestion of Morphine in Rats
- A classic study from the 1970s by psychologist Bruce Alexander. He set up an enriched environment, “Rat Park,” with plenty of space, toys, and other rats for social interaction. Rats in this environment showed far less interest in morphine compared to those in isolated, barren cages. It suggested that environment plays a huge role in addiction.
- The Myth of Mental Illness, Thomas Szasz
- Challenges traditional psychiatric diagnoses, arguing that mental illness is a social construct rather than a medical condition. my take